THE EFFECTS OF CONSTRUAL LEVELS ON ASYMMETRIC TEMPTATION-GOAL COGNITIVE ASSOCIATIONS

Self-control benefits from an asymmetric pattern of cognitive associations whereby temptations facilitate the activation of goals, but goals interfere with the activation of temptations (Fishbach, Friedman, & Kruglanski, 2003). The present research examines how these cognitive associations are dependent on people's subjective construals of events. Drawing from past work demonstrating that abstract, goal-relevant (higher level) rather than concrete, goal-incidental (lower level) construals promote self-control (Fujita, Trope et al., 2006), three experiments tested the hypothesis that higher level construals promote asymmetric temptation-goal associations. Results confirmed that asymmetric temptation-goal associations are construal-dependent: higher level construals enhanced the tendency for temptations to facilitate activation of goals (Studies 1 and 2), and for goals to interfere with the activation of temptation (Study 3).